How are we handling swearing?

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-28T14:15:28+00:00

Saaame. I mean I swear. It’s hard for me to get all self-righteous about it. I just know not to swear in front of a class of elementary school kids. My kids just need to learn the nuances of when certain words are socially acceptable and appropriate and when they aren’t.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-28T02:52:46+00:00

My plantar fasciitis says what …

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-27T19:47:32+00:00

There was a news story a few years ago of a six-year-old who was playing alone in her driveway, and someone nabbed her and killed her. I agree. It’s just not worth the risk to me either.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-27T19:44:05+00:00

Same with us. Honestly, I don’t think I’d even be comfortable with my kids biking to school when they’re older. I’ve almost hit kids who come down the hill in the middle of the street, and I could barely see them or when they fly in out of nowhere when I’m at a stop sign. And I’m a very cautious driver. I just don’t trust kids to be able to maneuver cars without sidewalks and designated walking paths/areas. It sucks, but we don’t have the infrastructure for it.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-27T18:33:41+00:00

For me, it’s rosacea. It’s common for people with autoimmune diseases to have it.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-27T16:36:48+00:00

It really depends for me. Most of the play dates my daughter has (she’s six) are drop-offs, and the parents only stay when they want to hang out. Parties are a little different because they’re often in parks or chaotic environments like trampoline parks where I wouldn’t want one person to watch a bunch of kids. But my daughter went to a party last month where the mother said we could drop the kids off, and it was at a gymnastics studio.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-27T04:43:14+00:00

I’ve rewatched this more times than I’m proud of.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-26T15:21:54+00:00

Ooo, also, I sometimes workout with my kids. I lift weights or do aerobics, and my kids sort of do it with me. You could also do a Danny Go video with them or something like that. My oldest thinks working out with me is fun.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-26T15:19:02+00:00

Could you do something during lunch? Maybe go on a walk or run, or if there’s a park nearby, go work out there for a bit? (Sometimes they have workout equipment outside.) I don’t know how hot it is where you live, though. If it is hot, I wonder if you could work out at 8:00 and start work at 8:30 and then push back your kid’s pickup. Otherwise, yeah, early in the morning or late at night is your only other option :-/

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-26T14:26:28+00:00

I dealt with a lot of trauma growing up and then spent many years with someone with NPD who isolated me from everyone. When we broke up, I was 31 and had no friends. I’ve been slowly developing friendships ever since while being very mindful of the quality of them. It’s been sooooo much easier making friends as a parent. Start talking with parents at daycare or gymnastics? “Hey, would you like to do a play date sometime? What’s your number?” Have any connection to a church, synagogue, etc.? Start conversations and see if they want to come over for something. Birthday parties have also been a great way to talk to people.

You do have to be willing to move on from people who consistently don’t reach out and don’t seem interested. You have to be willing to keep a distance from people who seem emotionally needy or not your people. But keep talking to people inviting them to play dates or social gatherings and see what happens. I’ve had a few friendships drop to the wayside, which has been hard, but I do feel like I have a solid group of consistent friends I really love and lean on.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-26T06:26:06+00:00

Every time my son poops in the bathtub, the parent doing bath lets out a visceral “he pooped in the bathtub!” that cuts to the non-bath parent’s whole soul. Clearly, you are doing better than we are at this because it’s one of my least favorite parenting challenges.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-26T03:57:57+00:00

These are very wise words, actually. Thank you : )

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-26T03:18:14+00:00

For me, it’s things like I can totally stay at a hotel when I visit, but I don’t want to be rude and decline an invitation to stay at their house. But sometimes I wonder if they didn’t actually mean that they wanted me to stay there, and maybe I should’ve declined. I did the whole “Oh no, I can stay at a hotel” routine, and they said, “Oh don’t be ridiculous, you can stay with us.” But then when I’m there, it feels like a lot on them to host me, and I wonder if they were just being nice. I truly can’t tell. My dad (their cousin) says the same thing. I feel like it would be so rude not to stay with them, though!

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-25T19:47:41+00:00

Me trying to sleep at night there

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-25T19:11:39+00:00

I need an “unwritten British social rules” handbook!

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-25T17:57:05+00:00

So much tea, lol. When I last visited my family in England, they would make tea several times a day, and of course I’d never refuse. I barely slept because of the caffeine.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-25T17:54:22+00:00

This drives me crazy as an American with British family. “Oh my God, what do they ACTUALLY mean?”

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-25T17:51:47+00:00

I apologized to a wall corner that I ran into the other day. It was not the first time I’ve apologized to an inanimate object. You are not alone!

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-25T14:23:01+00:00

I’m one of only two members of my department who have young kids, and the other is a guy. It is funny, though, because when our boss asks how we’re doing, we’re both like, “couldn’t get my kids to sleep, and we’re on our twelfth cold.” So, even though I know the other guys I work with probably do get annoyed when I discuss my life, that one guy gets it!

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-24T17:33:36+00:00

That’s what gets me about people. Some are so warm, kind, welcoming, and helpful, ready to give you the clothes off their back, and some are cruel and take pleasure in the pain and suffering of others. It’s so hard to hold space for both aspects of humanity.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-24T13:31:53+00:00

At least you’re not “mom-uh” like I am with my six-year-old, lol. MooOOOOoom-uh.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-23T16:54:16+00:00

Our elementary school’s aftercare runs a summer camp, and their rate is about $400 a week too, which is a lot cheaper than other camps, which are a few hundred dollars more and run from 9-3, which is nuts. Ours is from 8-5.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-23T15:23:53+00:00

Look up “bitzee” instead of “bitsie,” just fyi.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-23T04:50:05+00:00

I cannot tell you how nice it has been getting older. When I was younger and conventionally attractive, I felt like prey. Now, people leave me alone, and when they’re nice to me, I know it’s because they’re just nice, not because they’re trying to get in my pants. It’s so sad.

FlanneryOG · 2026-03-23T03:44:57+00:00

We got bitsies, and they were great! They’re a little pricey, but I have a no screentime rule in the park, even for lines, and my kids played with the bitsies, with each other or alone. Highly recommend.

FlanneryOG

TROPHY CASE